August Reading Wrap Up and Mini-Reviews

1) AGNES SHARP AND THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME BY LEONIE SWANN (Adult Cozy Mystery) (338 pages) (4⭐️)

This is the second book in the Miss Sharp Investigates series. In this book, Agnes and the other residents of Sunset Hall take a vacation to a seaside spa hotel. Then the hotel guests start being murdered and Agnes and the Sunset Hall residents must find the killer. In comparison to the first book, Agnes is much less a central character. Instead, it is divided more evenly among the Sunset Hall characters. The way the story is told may frustrate some readers, but I found the short sections with cliffhangers to be engaging and they kept me reading.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8823309374

2) THE EXAMINER BY JANICE HALLETT (Adult Mystery) (480 pages) (4.5⭐️)

An exterior examiner is hired to grade the students of an art master’s programs final works. As he goes through their works, he begins to suspect that one of the students has gone missing. This was my third Hallett book and like the others it is told exclusively via mixed media format. Hallett continues to impress me with her ability to write well developed characters and complex, compelling mysteries while exploring unconventional story telling mediums.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8823309902

3) NOBODY’S QUEST BY ALYSSA DAY (Adult Fantasy) (379 pages) (3⭐️)

A goddess is trapped and according to the prophesy only a nobody can save her. Indentured servant Soli is chosen and she, along with her prince love interest Kaelen and other allies, must retrieve the keys to free the goddess. Soli suffers from what is referred to as gray mind and is an allegory for depression. As someone who suffers with mental illness, seeing this kind of representation is so important. Unfortunately, this novel didn’t impress me much. The world building needed some bolstering, and the found family dynamic the author was striving for was never quite realized.

FULL REVIEW: Coming soon to the blog!

4) MURDER AT WESTMINSTER BY MAGDA ALEXANDER (Adult Cozy Historical Mystery) (324 pages) (3.5⭐️)

This is the second book in the Kitty Worthington Mysteries series. In this book, Kitty must solve the murder of a duke to exonerate her sister’s close friend. The mystery in this book was more straight forward and boring than that of the first one. It also deals a lot more with the tedious lives of aristocracy. I am unsure if I’ll continue with the series. FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8866512043

5) THE LIBRARY AFTER DARK BY ANDE PLIEGO (Adult Thriller) (344 pages) (3⭐️)

Aria’s boyfriend Jasper gets them tickets for an after hours tour of a famous library where unsolved deaths have occurred. Aria and the tour group soon find themselves trapped and being picked off one by one. The novel’s strongest aspect was its atmosphere – the library is very macabre. Unfortunately, it tries to do too much. EVERYONE has a secret and by the end it’s a bit of a convoluted mess.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8610520674

6) MURDER AT THE MAYFAIR HOTEL BY C. J. ARCHER (Adult Cozy Mystery) (258 pages) (4.25⭐️)

Following the death of her grandmother, Cleo goes to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in the Mayfair Hotel. When a guest is poisoned, Cleo is thrust into the investigation. This was a solid start to a cozy mystery series. I liked Cleo and the cast of hotel staff characters, though I wish the family members had played more of a role. The mystery is good if not super shocking or original.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8887589853

7)  MURDER ON CHAIRTY LANE BY JOE NICHOLS (Adult Cozy Mystery) (338 pages) (3.75⭐️)

This is the second book in the Marigold Cottages Murder series. It follows a group of residents of the Marigold Cottages who solve murders together. In this one, resident Ocean’s new love interest, CJ, is accused of murder and they must prove her innocence. The mystery in this book is a tad thin and the lovable characters are doing a lot of the heavy lifting. If this series continues, then I will for sure pick up the next one.

FULL REVIEW: Coming soon to the blog!

DNFs

1) A MURDER OF CROWS BY SARAH YARWOOD-LOVETT (Adult Cozy Mystery) (read 54%/199 pages)

In this book, an ecologist, Dr. Nell Ward, becomes a suspect in a murder. I found myself pretty bored while reading this. Also, the detective character weirded me out. He was infatuated with Dr. Nell from their first meeting and that clouded his judgment. Also, I thought Dr. Nell would do more investigating like a typical amateur sleuth in a cozy mystery book.

2) MURDER AT AN IRISH CASTLE BY ELLIE BRANNIGAN (Adult Cozy Mystery) (read 22%/70 pages)

Rayne McGrath inherits her uncle’s Irish castle. The fate of the surrounding village depends on her ability to fix up the castle and solve her uncle’s murder. I was excited at the prospect of an Irish castle as a setting for a murder mystery. Unfortunately, I just didn’t feel anything about Rayne and her cousin frustrated me with her attitude. The lackluster and annoying characters made continuing the series not worth reading.

TOTAL BOOKS READ (JAN-AUG): 46

TOTAL DNFS (JAN-AUG): 10

TOTAL PAGES READ (JAN-AUG): 17,848

AVG. BOOK LENGTH (JAN-AUG): 388 pages

AVG. RATING (JAN-AUG): 4.01⭐️